Automatic step for cars.



' m E. LANDIN.

I AUTOMATIC STEP FOB GARB- A P PLIOATI01I rum) ram-2a, mo.

- Patented July 5,1910.

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NILS E. LANDIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC STEP FOR CABS.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed February 23, 1910. Serial No. 545,336.

Patented July 5,

To all whom it may concern: I p

- Be it known that I, NILS E. LANDIN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of NewYork,have invented" certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticSteps for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in automatic steps forcars.

It is the special object of my invention to produce a step forming apermanent part of a car which is automatically operated by the trainmanor guard when he opens or closes a sliding door. This is so arrangedthat the step is out of the way and flush with the side wall of the carwhen the door is closed and down in position for use when the door isopen forming then a flat projection or tread upon which the foot may beplaced while entering or leaving the car.

vThis invention has been primarily devised for use on cars which run upclose to a platform in such manner that the truck and wheels of the carare below and the floor of same is about level with the platform. Inmany cases, particularly in subways it so happens that the cartracksund'er the streets are slightly curved and the platform thereforeis sometimes closeto the door of the car and sometimes a foot or so awayfrom same leaving thus a dangerous space and extra guards are requiredto vcall the attention of the passengers to that gap for the purpose ofpreventing accidents. 7

It is the purpose of the present invention to produce a step whichautomatically falls onto the platform when the guard opens the slidingdoor of the car forming a bridge over the dangerous ap. WVhen all thepassengers are in or out of the car the guard closing the doorsimultaneously draws up the step, thus the guard does not need to paspecial attention to it. When the plat orm is level with the car flooror somewhat lower a straight step or bridge may be used. However whenthe platform is somewhat higher than the floor of the car a straightprojection or bridge is undesirable. In order to render the novelautomatic stepuseful under the latter condition it is longitudinallydivided and the front part independently movable from the rear part.Further, care has been taken to produce an easily movable and securedevice to avoid delay, all as will be fully described hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 represents in side elevation part of a car with the automaticstep applied thereto embodying in desirable form the to presentimprovements, showing the door closed and the step flush with the sidewall of the car. Fig. 2 is alike elevation showing the door open and thestep down ready for use. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 ofFig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in all the figures. i

On the drawing a represents the side wall of a car and b is a slidingdoor. The automatic step is secured in front of the door at the bottomof same. The step is supported by blocks 0 on pins 03 formed directly atthe inner ends of same. The step is formed of two parts 6, e suitablyconnected preferably by forming two downward extensions e on the frontpart c and two like projections e on the rear part of same which areconnected by short bolts f. In this manner the front part e may falldownwardl but can not moveupwardly beyond the plane of the rear partbecause the inner straight surfaces of the two parts will prevent thiswhen meeting so that normally a level surface of both parts is formed.To prevent hurting the foot of a passenger when the step falls Y downthe front portion of the part c of same is covered with rubber, as shownin Fig. 3. A coiled spring 9 is secured to the side wall of the car asshown in- Figs. 3 and 4. The lower end 9 of the spring runs into agroove of the inner part 6 of the step. This spring keeps the stepnormally down in a position for use. To the front/part e of the step a95 chain 72. is secured which runs over a sheave 01' pulley 71 securedto the front wall a of. the car before the door. From here the chain 71.runs vertically up to thetop of the car below the roof and passes over asheave j mounted rectangularly to the sheave i in the front wall of thecar so that the chain It may pass horizontally over to a sheave ismounted like the sheave j in the side wall of the car. The chain it thenruns across to the forward 105 top portion of the door and is securedthere in a securing device Z which preferably con-.4 sists of a smalliron part Z having a notch through which the chain passes which latteris provided with an enlarged end. To .pre-

- To e opefiationsofi th device easily 5 de'rstood 'from thee OYe, AAssumingjtha't the door is vclosed "asshbw'n i'n" illigifl thena thestep isin a vertical, position and flush" with .-the'-'side Wall fifthecar. -When the trainmanfnow opens the door by means of the doorhandleflmthe chain it passes ac" rsjforoed'down by the spring g. '-Whenthe door iscompletelyopei the step is'down in "position; ready for useasshown in I igs, 2, 3 dH l SIYWhen-the guard closes the door it hfainit trav'els over the sheave "a,the sheave "7' and the 'sh'ea'vejc andthereby ulls I the stepautomatically u'pint'o' avertica position. Ifhoweverithefloor of-the car is somewhat higher than the stationaryplat--A the step descendsto' meet it. 1 Should y however thepl-atformbe'alittle highe'r'than- 7 "fiber ofthe' car a rigid 'stepwould pointinconvenient" for the; passengers to board same For this reason the stepdivided above'fde'sci ibed and when the' step desfceiidsrit's'front'portion rests flatly on the i, h jis'hel'din a definitecorresponding position i In thefdeserib ed manner an automatic h 'tefp',produced particularly'u'seful on sub-'; c ars 'stoppin nearplatformswhich f ofteiifsomewha away from the car leavg j dangerous f gapsbetween. j'l cla'i'm'as-iny'invention. l'f'An-au'tomati" tep foroarscomprising ajstep'properfsecuredinfront of the slidings'idedoorofthecar' at the bottom of same,

a coiled 'spiing' on the'f side wall of the car 1 'with lower portionextending onto the step kee it normally down; three sheaves; one

fnear't ebottom on the front wall of'the car,

i 91 1c near theft'op on said wall mounted recngularly to the firstn'amedjsheave and ordih'gly over the sheave 7c," the sheave -j and. 1.

.anjlipward direction "and render it very- 7 platform leaving the outeredge of. the rear portion atltheplatforn level while its chain.

bnidn tlie "innertop portion of h Side jyvall, ,achain secured at oneend to the frontportion of the step running over the sheaves and thenacross the top portion of the door, anda' securing device for the chainin the o'uter top,p'ortionof the door.

2. An automatic step for subway cars 5 comprising a step .properlongitudinally dividedlinto alfrontand rearpart so con- :nected that thefront. part may move downwardonly relative to the rearpart, threesheaves one near ,the bottom on, the front 0 wallofthe car, one near-thetop on said walk mounted rectangularly to the" first. named and one onthe inner top portion of the side wall, a chain secured at one end tothe front part of the step, running over 5 the sheavesv and then acrossthe topi'portion 'OfgllllQSlldlIlg side door, and a securing deviceforthe chain in the outer top portion of the door. 1

In combination ,with the slidin door of. a. car, a stephoperati vely inconnection with: said door-comprising a divided projection ortrea'd,afspr ng adapted to keep the tread normally down, and neansdn connectionwith thefront part of the step and the door to raise andlow'erfthe stepautomatically when the door is; operated.

.4..In a stepifor cars'automatically operated by opening and closijn asliding door, a step=or tread composed 0t two parts, h'avingdownward-projections on the side portions ,where they, meet adjacent toeach other and boltedto'g'ether so that the front part maymovet'downward only relative'to the rear part-,"Saidyrearpart having atransnormallyi down- 'and two pins oneat eaei this use; (m 0 THoMAs;DONNELLAN. 'j

